Testimonials

Our son Jacob suffered a near fatal brain injury at 3 1/2 months of age, with global neurological impairment resulting. He has profound developmental delay, with CP/epilepsy/quadriplegia. Now 3 years of age, Jacob is still unable to sit on his own, cannot roll over and has limited (ineffective) gross motor skills. When he is not in his wheelchair or harnessed in an adapted seat, Jacob independence is limited mostly to lying on his back. We had initially purchased the smaller Bumbo seat for our other infant son, and on a whim tried seating Jacob in it. Although a little snug due to his age/size, the Bumbo shape reinforced good positioning and would not allow Jacob to slide down (he has quite high tone and will often stiffen or arch in other seats). Jacob seemed rather thrilled by the new acquisition and was bright-eyed and smiling on his first try. We did not intially anticipate finding a larger version of this seat, so we were very happy to find that the Childrite product does indeed exist. As Jacob is unable to safely sit in most seats unless tethered, the Childrite product offered a viable option for watching his favorite shows, having stories read to him etc. without these add-ons. The curved form of the seat back, soft arm rests and in particular the high pommel allow Jacob to sit comfortably and without fear of falling, either forward or flopping to the side. The height of the Childrite seat back was also important to us as Jacob has difficulty holding his head for any period of time, so support in this area was critical in equal parts to good form and safety.

Among the many post-injury issues Jacob is dealing with, myoclonic jerks are the most troubling and difficult to control, having progressed to their most severe in just the last couple of months. These very physical seizures happen consistently, frequently, and with no onset warning so as you can imagine seating without tethering was something we just never would have chanced with Jacob. With the Childrite seat, he has been able to endure myoclonic episodes and although he may double forward somewhat he will not fall out and we are able to tend to him in a timely fashion; pretty important stuff from our perspective.

In general speaking, because the Childrite seat promotes appropriate positioning and a "natural" sitting experience for Jacob without the use of peripherals, it has been a welcome addition to the many other adaptive products we have to use in his daily life. In past I have personally tried to adapt conventional (foam) kiddie seats with PVC tubing for strength, straps etc. for support, all with the idea of giving Jacob a 'regular' experience with a regular kid product. The outcome was relatively expensive and mostly useless, so the Childrite product certainly provided where my well-intentioned efforts could not. Our younger son has all but outgrown his own Bumbo, so he has taken to borrowing his big brother's seat. They both get good mileage and it fosters a very normal element of sharing in their relationship .

We are very happy with the Childrite seat, and we have made a point to pass along all relevant information to our PT and OT as they deal with other families who have similar needs for their child. As Jacob will soon outgrow his Childrite, we too look forward to what you will be offering next!

Sincerely,

Gord & Kelea

Dear Childrite:

As you know, our office sustained a devastating fire on 7/19/08. Melanie Munster brought me a Childrite seat that you donated to the office, and I am so thankful! I have been touched by everyone’s generosity through this trying time.

I put two children in the seat the day that Melanie brought it to us. One little girl, a nearly 5 year-old child with spastic quadriplegic CP, did really well in the seat. She was able to sit in a ring-sit position and work on upper extremity reaching and trunk rotation activities while feeling secure in her seated position.

Another patient, a nine year old girl with a diagnosis of Athetoid CP did really well. The contact that her hips and trunk had with the seat appeared to quiet some of her extraneous movements so that she could better concentrate on her purposeful upper extremity movement. Her accuracy while in the seat was higher than the accuracy out of the seat.

The seat is a great option for many children who have special needs. It allows children to be on the floor with their family and peers, with a nice balance between stability and freedom. Thanks for creating this seating option!

Thank you so much for the Childright Seat...it works fabulously!! I LOVE IT!!!! I will send you a pic of my daughter Ashley sitting in her new chair in another email (I don't have the pic loaded on this computer). We have nicknamed your seat the "Mombo" LOL!! This seat is truly a godsend!! On behalf of "Special Moms" everywhere, I can not say "thank-you" enough for creating and bringing to market this seat. There is a huge need for this seat. I just wanted to let you know that I take it with me frequently for playdates and child outings that require Ashley to sit on the ground/floor level. This is perfect for the child-level socialization. And no kidding, everytime I take this seat out someone always approaches me and asks where did I get this seat? Then I explain to them your story. I feel like I can take orders for the chair right then and there...and I've only had it for a month!

Hey Special Moms!

Are you looking for a great alternative seating solution for your special child? Check out this website below!! I have one of these for my 4 year old daughter with CP and I use it every day! I take it to restaurants and use it as a booster type seat in a booth when there is just not enough room for her powerchair at the table, I also take it on picnic playdates so she can be at the same ground level as her piers and sit on the blanket, I even use it in the bath (under careful supervision & in only a few inches of water because it does float) so that she can share bath time with her twin sister.

This Discount coupon is for the orange Childrite seat which resembles a traditional "Bumbo" seat with a few critical "special needs" enhancements. It is larger with a more prominent pommel between the legs, it also has less of an angle in the seat area to deter rounding of the shoulders, and a significantly taller back for great support. This seat is several pounds heavier than the traditional "Bumbo" especially around the base for stability and has comfortably fit special needs children up to age 10 and could possibly be used for even older kids depending on their size around their pelvis.

To introduce their new seat to the special needs market, Childrite is offering us "Special Moms" and Therapists a special discount through their web site when you order. Instead of spending their money on traditional advertising, Childrite is doing "grass roots" word of mouth advertising and giving us, the consumer, the savings in the form of a $50 discount per chair. Childrite sent me this note below:

"I would appreciate it if you could forward this coupon code crfiftydollardiscount to as many people as possible where they can use it to get $50 off at www.childrite.com and hopefully we can get this code to fly through all the support groups."

For those of you who don't know...Childrite is the U.S. importer of the "Bumbo" chair and they have been working on this new chair for over 3 years. While other companies decided it was not cost effective to produce this chair for our special needs market, Childrite stepped up and fulfilled the commitment and decided to take on the challenge (and gamble) to bring this chair to OUR much smaller "special needs" market for us by themselves. Three cheers for Childrite!!

SPREAD THE WORD!! Please pass this info along to anyone who could benefit from one of these chairs. (other special moms, special needs groups, daycares, local ARC groups, PTs, school therapist, local county social services, etc.) These are fabulous chairs!!

I am a physical therapist in Pennsylvania and was one of the (many I'm sure) people who wrote you over the last few years asking you to make a larger version of Bumbo for our special needs population. Thank you for listening to us and to Jonathan's family (I read the testimonials).

As soon as I got your email notification about the Childrite seat, I requisitioned two for my caseload and passed the info along to other therapists, parents, special ed teachers and a friend who runs a local Lekotek. I am thrilled with the product.

While sitting in it, the children in our Early Intervention Program (ages 3-5) are able to sit on the same level as their non-disabled peers for 'circle time'. Since the design of the chair minimizes the thrust that accompanies postural adjustments for so many of our children with spasticity, the child's hands are relaxed and free to learn the 'finger plays' and other movements while they engage in songs and stories. It also gives the child a great, natural opportunity to work on head and upper body control, because they don't have to fight against their own excessive movements. You did what we therapists have been trying to do with piecemeal, jerry-rigged, and cobbled-together wedges and rolls for years. Thank you, thank you.

Our OT mentioned to me how great the children's upper body/hand control is now that their lower body is properly supported. She has started working with the children using the Childrite seat, and she has a tray or two that can be adjusted to the right height for her fine motor work. Are you planning on marketing a tray that would go with the seat? It seems a next logical progression.

I know the temptation is to use the seat off the floor on chairs or raised surfaces and I thank you for being proactive enough to put that warning on your website. I wonder if another potential product for you would be a 'coat' which would attach the seat to the seat of a household chair and a 'sleeve' which would slide down the back of the chair. This would of course necessitate a foot support of some type, because leaving the child's legs dangling encourages instability. It may be more than you are interested in taking on, but for what it's worth, I think the idea is marketable.

Thank you again for listening to consumers in your product design. Best of luck with your marketing and sales campaign. The price may be high at first glance to someone 'outside' the realm of special needs equipment, but trust me, it is a bargain by comparison to other seats I have purchased for our program's children. And the fact that it works makes it a worthwhile investment for a child, not a frivolous expense.

If you need a PT to bounce ideas off or to try out your new products, let me know.

Jeanne Moran, MHS, PT
NEIU #19
Archbald, PA
We recently purchased the Child Rite seat after our 2 year old son outgrew the Bumbo seat. We were so happy with the kind of support & trunk control benefits of the Bumbo that we purchased the Child Rite seat. We found the Child Rite seat to offer the same benefits, including added comfort for our son. The seat is also light weight and easy to travel with. We found that the reduced price with the promotional offer to be a reasonable price for the seat. Our son is very happy with it.

Joe - Canada
Dear Childrite:

I can't thank you enough for making the Childrite seat. My son fits perfectly and it is really letting him be a "big boy." He is 5 years old and unable to sit on his own. He prefers to be on the floor, but when his friends and family come over, he wants to be where the action is. He can sit on the floor and be at the same heighth level as everyone else which encourages people to take notice that he is there and, most importantly, initiate conversation with him.

My very favorite thing to do is put the chair on the couch so we can sit together as a family. (I promise he is not left for even half a second unattended!!) He also sits nicely at the kitchen table now and I've found it very useful in the bathroom. I place it on the counter with a towel over it, give him his bath, place him in his chair, wrap him up like a taco so he's not freezing, and then go directly to get his jammies. So very easy!

The thing I'm anticipating the most is using it at the movies! Just imagine how big he will feel!!

I saw something very interesting the other day. My son was in his chair, placed on a cushy mat on the floor. I went to get his milk, came back, and noticed he was on the floor. I looked at him thinking, "I thought I put him in the chair." Anyways, later that afternoon, I placed him in his chair and we were watching tv. I saw him lean over to the right, stretch to place his right hand down on the ground, and then pushed himself out of the chair with his feet! He was laughing his head off, delighted that he had changed positions on his own. It was volitional movement, and I could not have been more proud for him and his new achievement!!

Thank you for your hard work,

Tina Hill
(mom to Jaden, quad cp, 5 years old)
After reading the post from the mom who had her son at a therapy ranch in Texas I decided to order the seat for my grandson. He is 18 months old, 19 pounds, does not yet sit independently, hydro, severe physical delays. What a difference this seat has meant - the world has opened up to him because he can look up now - the weight of his head always had him looking at the floor when playing and now, what a difference. My daughter took the seat with her to therapy and all the therapists immediately wanted one. Anyway, we were a hit at therapy and they were impressed that a 19 pounder could fit in it as well as a much larger child. Well, worth the money!

It has made such a difference in his life. We took it with us to the restaurant and for the first time he was "part of the dining experience". I have to pace myself due to the cost, but intend to buy one for my house (currently my daughter and I pass it around) and I am pleased to report that my church will purchase one so Aiden can participate better in Sunday school. Well worth the money, but it would be ever so nice if it was less.

Sandy
Dear Childrite

We received the chair you sent us. It is wonderful. Our youngest foster child has severe scoliosis and he is very comfortable in this chair. He could not sit in the bumbo. It caused him great pain and his reflux would act up. He does great in the childrite.

I have passed the information on to all my special needs moms and therapists. I'm sure you will receive some orders from them. Thanks again you kindness is much appreciated. Many children will be using this chair over its lifetime.

Sandy

^Jonathon^ 10/22/02 - 12/14/07

My little boy is an ^angel^ now and
all of heaven is his playground.
Hello there,

My name is Lena, and this is me sitting ALL BY MYSELF in the Pretty Punkin Colored Seat. Now I can sit "down here" with the Small People while Mommy & Daddy sit "up there" with the Big People. It's wonderful to have no belts or straps. I was in the hospital for a while and I can't wait to get back into my very own seat.

It's sure to help me get my strength back,( or I can just lean back and practice my smile).

My entire family loves to see me sitting safely in the my Punkin Colored Seat. And to whomever designed this seat, I'm sending a really big "Thank You" and a thumbs up.
Our second seat arrived today and we are very excited. Aiden's perspective on many things has changed now that he is upright and objects are more visible. A friend at my church took an wooden tv table and lowered it so that now Aiden has a play table that comes up to and over the arms of the seat. With a non-skid pad on top he can play for quite some time. When we are out at a restaurant he is up and among the family. Wonderful wonderful - not a waste of money at all!

Soft foam seat helps special needs children by providing a therapy chair and a supportive place to sit.Warning - For floor level use only. Never use in a car or bath tub. Never leave child unattended. Seat is not a restraint and is for therapeutic use only.More information